Described below is a method of determining neighbor cell selection for a mobile terminal in a broadcast/multicast.
The 3rd generation project partnership (3GPP) universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) cellular radio system includes a capability for the broadcast or multicast of data to multiple user equipments (UEs). To increase the reliability of the data transmission the UE is required to be able to receive transmissions from its primary or serving cell and also, if necessary, from one or more neighbor cells. The UE can then combine the signals that it receives from the plurality of cells to produce a single data stream that has a lower rate of data loss than would be obtained if decoding the primary cell alone. This combining of MBMS traffic channel (MTCH) transmissions within a cell group has been adopted for multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) and the provision of neighbor cell information on MBMS control channel (MCCH) has been agreed.
However, as it is likely that, on any particular occasion, more neighbor cells will transmit data than the UE is able to receive, it is desirable for the UE to be able to select, from a number of neighbor cells offered, only those which most effectively improve the resulting single data stream.